Pellet guns, which have claimed lives and left hundreds blinded during street protests in Kashmir, are set to make a comeback in a new avatar. These guns were widely used in the Valley during the protests that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July last year.
After the Army drew flak for using pellets to control crowds, these were replaced by less lethal chilli-based shells. Each pellet gun cartridge can hold up to 500 pellets, which once fired bursts to disperse hundreds of lead pellets that do not follow a definite path. Travelling at high speeds, pellets, which are essentially metal balls, can tear through soft tissues, and the eye being extremely delicate is the most vulnerable to damage. Though considered non-lethal, pellets can kill if they strike the skull or a vital body organ. According to statistics, 14 per cent of those injured by pellets in Jammu and Kashmir are below the age of 15, and face complicated surgeries.
After a massive hue and cry against the guns, the paramilitary forces had considered replacing them with a less lethal alternative, PAVA (pelargonic acid vanillylamide) shells. The move was based on a recommendation by an expert committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry in August 2016. PAVA shells are made from an organic compound found in natural chilli pepper. The compound is commonly used in food additives to create a hot sensation, and finds a place even in self-defence pepper sprays.
File- Kashmiri pellet victim is assisted by hospital volunteers as he poses for a photograph after being treated at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in Srinagar | AFP
Now, however, paramilitary forces have found this less-lethal munition has not been effective in scattering protesters. And so, the old pellet guns will make a comeback, with a tweak. The modified version of the pellet gun is said to have a deflector, a metal attachment on the gun muzzle to prevent the bullets from rising high. This is done so that shrapnel shells do not strike a person above the abdomen region. In fact, according to media reports, troops have now been instructed to fire at the feet of protesters.
Earlier this month, Army chief Bipin Rawat had warned of strict action against those attacking security forces in the Valley. The stern message from Rawat came after three soldiers faced heavy stone-pelting at Parray Mohalla of Bandipore in north Kashmir when they were about to launch an operation against militants holed up there.
